Pope Francis released a new encyclical, Dilexit Nos, on October 24, focusing on the love of Jesus, symbolized in His Sacred Heart. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, explained how this message adds to Pope Francis’ other writings. While Dilexit Nos hasn’t gained the same attention as Pope Francis’ social encyclicals, Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti, it offers insight into his ongoing mission.
Cardinal Tagle shared how devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, deeply meaningful in his native Philippines, calls on people to connect with the love, mercy, and compassion of Jesus. For him, Dilexit Nos helps show how Jesus’ love connects to caring for others and the world around us, ideas also seen in Pope Francis’ other writings.
Pope Francis invites everyone to reflect on our hearts and to resist the “superficiality” in society, which can block us from true compassion. Through Jesus’ Sacred Heart, he calls the Church and individuals to deep, loving relationships, essential for the Church’s mission of “synodality”—working together with empathy and humility. This message also links to the upcoming 2025 Jubilee, where all believers are called to be pilgrims of hope, sharing Jesus’ love with the world.
Source: Vatican News
